Floor polisher with attachment for cleaning rugs



March 12, 1957 E. L. VERHAGEN FLOOR PMQISHER WITH ATTACHMENT FORCLEANING RUGS Filed April 29. 1955 INVENTOR Edward L.Verhaqen BY 2M'TQRNEY United States Patent FLOOR POLXSHER WITH ATTACHMENT FORCLEANING RUGS Edward L. Verhagen, Rahway, N. 1., assignor to The ReginaCorporation, Rahway, N. J., a corporation of New York Application April29, 1953, Serial No. 351,938

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-49) This invention relates generally to floorpolishers, and more specifically to an attachment for a floor polishingmachine which permits the use as a rug cleaner of a floor polisher ofthe type referred to in my copending patent application for a FloorMachine filed August 3, 1950, and bearing Serial Number 177,404, thepatent having been issued on April 20, 1954, Patent No. 2,676,067.

A floor machine of the type mentioned has interchangeable rotatingbrushes, or buffing heads as the primary cleaning or polishing members.When the machine is in use these brushes or butfing heads are directlyin contact with the surface to be cleaned and rotate in a plane parallelto that surface. Above them is housed the driving mecha nism, the entireweight of the apparatus resting upon the brushes or bufling heads. Suchan arrangement is perfectly satisfactory for the cleaning or polishingof a surface of the nature of linoleum or hardwood. The arrangement iseven desirable with such a surface, for a more thorough job is done whena greater pressure is applied to the floor contacting parts.

The same apparatus could be applied to the cleaning of rugs with brushesused as the cleaning member. Necessarily, in order not to damage the rugfabric or nap, a softer brush would have to be used than would be usedin the cleaning of floors. But regardless of the nature of the brushused, such an apparatus simply would not work in the cleaning of rugs ifthe full weight of the apparatus were to rest on the brushes. This wouldbe so because the nap of the rug would catch the fibers of the brush,impeding rotation of the brushes, and this result would be aggravatedwith pressure on the brushes. Even if rotation did occur, grave damageto the rug might result.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to provide aremovable attachment for a floor machine having cleaning brushesrotatable in a horizontal plane, which will itself carry the weight ofthe machine, relieving the cleaning brushes of the necessity of carryingthe said weight. In this manner an additional use to make the floormachine even more versatile, becomes possible.

Since in the cleaning of a rug with an apparatus of the type mentionedit is necessary to move the cleaner over the surface of the rug, it is afurther object to provide means in the attachment for a floor polishingmachine whereby it is possible to freely move the entire assembly overthe surface of the rug.

Another object is to make the members of the attachment which render itmovable, of such nature that no damage to the rug will result in movingthe cleaner about.

Still another object is to include in the attachment means for adjustingthe spacing between the brushes of the supported floor machine and therug. This adjustment is necessary because of the varying height andthickness of nap in different rugs.

A further object is to provide means whereby the attachment may in avery simple manner be attached to the cleaning apparatus, and with equalease be removed.

A still further object of this invention is to put into the hands of thehousewife a practical means by the use of "ice which rugs may be cleanedin the home eliminating the inconvenience of sending rugs out to becleaned, and making rug cleaning far more economical.

A final object is to provide an attachment for a cleaner of the typementioned which is light, durable, and which may be made and sold atmoderate cost.

How these and many other objects are to be implemented will becomeapparent through a consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of the attachment Fig. 2 is a section taken alongline 2--2 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a similar section to that shown in Fig. 2 demonstrating theoperation of the spacing adjusting mechanlsm.

The attachment comprises a carrying member 10 having as part thereof twoU-shaped portions 10a and 11. The carrying member supports the floormachine on ledge 12 which forms a part of portions 10a and 11, the ledgeengaging a rim of the floor machine which is not shown. Additionalsupport is also furnished by means of crossmember 13 beneath which shaft22 passes.

In attaching the floor machine to the carrying member, the machine isplaced on ledge 12, with stationary catch 14. which is immovably mountedupon the main carrying member, engaging the floor machine and holdingthe floor machine down. Before the floor machine is placed on ledge 12and under catch 14, pivotable latch 15 is manually depressed in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 2. When the machine is then placed inposition on the adapter frame, latch 15, acting under the motivationsupplied by spring 16, pivots into the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 2, in which position it engages the floor machine and securelyanchors it in the carrying member. Because latch 15 is freely pivotablein both directions when it is in engaging position with the floormachine, its anchoring action will persist when the spacing between themachine and the rug 16 is adjusted up or down by the means hereinafterto be described.

'Rollers 18 are affixed to the attachment to provide the necessarymobility for the cleaning operation. Wide rollers are used in order thatthe weight carried by the attachment be distributed over a large surfaceto minimize any possible deleterious effect to the rug being cleaned.The rollers are carried on roller shafts 19 and 20.

The height adjustment is made through rotation of shaft 22 which may berotated through manipulation of knurled knob 23. The shaft has twothreaded portions 24 and 25, one portion having a right hand thread, theother a left hand thread. Rider 26, having two external pins 27 as apart thereof, has a threaded internal surface through which threadedportion 24 of shaft 22 passes, so that rotation of the shaft causesrider 26 to move along threaded portion 24. Similarly a second rider 28will move along threaded portion 25 of the shaft. The lateral motion ofthe riders is converted to a vertical motion for adjusting verticalspacing between the floor machine and the rug by engaging pins 27 inchannels 29 provided for them in rockers 30 and 31, as shown in Fig. 3.Roller shafts 19 and 20 pass through the rockers 30 and 31 which act asfixed points about which the rockers may pivot. The rocker members arefurther pivotally connected to the main carrying member by pins 32 and33. It may thus be seen that rotation of shaft 22 will, through theaction of the riders 26 and 28 cause rotation of rockers 30 and 31 aboutthe roller shafts 19 and 20. The effect is to impart a vertical motionto the carrying member 10 which is transmitted thereto from the rockersthrough pins 32 and 33. It will be remembered that threaded portions 24and 25 of shaft 22 are oppositely threaded so that rockers 30 and 31will act cooperatively to raise or lower 3 the main carryingmeinber uponrotation of shaft 22. Fig. 3 illustrates the change in position of thecomponent parts when the carrying member has been lowered from theposition of Fig. 2.

While I have described a specific embodiment of my invention, it isapparent that modifications and alterations in the structure describedmay be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Forexample, stationary catch 14 as well as latch 15 may be made pivotableso that both are capable of being swung out of the way when the floormachine is placed in carrying member 10.

I claim:

1. An attachment for a machine having cleaning means rotatable in aplane parallel to the rug to be cleaned, comprising a carrying memberhaving an open portion capable of supporting said machine, the cleaningmeans of said machine extending through said open portion of saidcarrying member when so supported, whereby said cleaning means areadapted to operatively contact and treat the rug, means for releasablyattaching said attachment to said machine, and means for adjusting thevertical spacing between said carrying member and said rug, saidadjusting means comprising rockers disposed on opposite sides of saidopen portion of said carrying member, and pivotably pinned at pivotpoints to said carrying member, said rockers having channels therein,roller shafts upon which said rockers are also pivotably mounted,rollers mounted upon said roller shafts, internally threaded ridershaving pins integral therewith, said pins being engaged by said channelsin said rockers for slidable movement within said channels, and arotatable shaft having oppositely threaded surface portions, each ofsaid portions passing through one of said riders, whereby upon lateralmovement of said riders along said rotatable shaft upon rotation of saidshaft and consequent slidable movement of said pins within said rockerchannels pivoting of said rockers about said roller shafts occurs, withconsequent vertical displacement of said pivot points at which saidrockers are pivotably pinned to said carrying member.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for releasablyattaching said attachment to said machine comprises a plurality of hooksmounted on said carrying member for engaging said machine, at least oneof said hooks being pivotable.

3. The combination for cleaning rugs comprising a machine havingcleaning means rotatable in a plane par allel to the rug to be cleaned,and an attachment releasably attached thereto, said attachmentcomprising a carrying member having an open portion capable ofsupporting said machine, the cleaning means of said machine extendingthrough said open portion of said carrying mem her when so supported,whereby said cleaning means are adapted to operatively contact and treatthe rug, means for releasably attaching said attachment to said machine,and means for adjusting the vertical spacing between said carryingmember and said rug, said adjusting means comprising rockers disposed onopposite sides of said open portion of said carrying member, andpivotably pinned at pivot points to said carrying member, said rockershaving channels therein, roller shafts upon which said rockers are alsopivotably mounted, rollers mounted upon said roller shafts, internallythreaded riders having pins integral therewith, said pins being engagedby said channels in said rockers for slidable movement within saidchannels, and a rotatable shaft having oppositely threaded surfaceportions, each of said portions passing through one of the said riders,whereby upon lateral movement of said riders along said rotatable shaftupon rotation of said shaft and consequent slidable movement of saidpins within said rocker channels pivoting of said rockers about saidroller shafts occurs, with consequent vertical displacement of saidpivot points at which said rockers are pivotably pinned to said carryingmember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS926,288 Rice June 29, 1909 979,898 Steele Dec. 27, 1910 1,299,990 MillerApr. 8, 1919 1,401,400 Green Dec. 27, 1921 1,684,698 Freeman Sept. 18,1928 1,708,649 Bente Apr. 9, 1929 2,318,960 Okun May 11, 1943 2,507,052Robinson May 9, 1950 2,626,412 Petersen Jan. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS518,091 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1940

